1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to tools for farriers, veterinarians and horse owners. More particularly, this invention relates to a stand for supporting a horse's hoof for horseshoe removal, hoof trimming, horseshoe fitting, horseshoe installation and hoof maintenance.
2. Background
Most farriers physically support the horse's leg during shoeing operations by holding the horse's leg between their own legs, with the horse leg coming up from the farrier's backside. This is a precarious and sometimes dangerous position and always physically demanding. First, the farrier must remove the old horseshoe. Then the hoof must be trimmed and filed. Next, the new shoe must be fitted to the hoof profile and nailed in place. Finally, the nails are clinched and the anterior profile of the hoof is filed and shaped. All of these operations are best performed with the hoof supported at an elevation above ground level.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,216 for a Multiple Stand To Aid Shoeing Horses teaches two position tripod type stand having a pair of alternating upright members disposed at a right angle with respect to one another. A pair of opposing legs are connected to the vertex joint of the uprights, each at a slightly obtuse angle with respect to both uprights. In one position, one upright extends vertically upward while the second upright acts as the third leg of the tripod. In the second position, the second upright extends vertically upward while the first upright acts as the third leg of the tripod. A hard hoof cradle is attached to the distal end of one of the uprights and a flat plate is attached to the distal end of the other upright. The cradle holds the hoof in an elevated horizontal position to provide access to the bottom of the hoof, while the flat plate provides an elevated platform to support the bottom of the hoof to provide convenient access to the anterior of the hoof. An optional upright with an anvil attachment can be removably substituted for either of the other two uprights.
Unfortunately, this device suffers from some disadvantages. First, the length of the uprights are not adjustable to accommodate the necessary difference in working height between front and back hooves of a single horse, nor to accommodate different sized horses. Second, the hoof cradle construction does not provide any concussion absorption and is prone to the hoof dislodging from the cradle. Thirdly, the legs and horizontally extending upright (effectively a leg) pose a hazard both to the farrier and to the horse.
What is needed is an adjustable height and safer stand that more securely holds the hoof in the horizontal position.